House OKs bill that could allow wolf hunt

The state House passed legislation Thursday that could block voters from deciding whether to allow wolf hunting in Michigan.

The measure, which passed on a 72-38 vote with bipartisan support, would give the Natural Resources Commission the power to decide which types of wildlife can be hunted. Gov. Rick Snyder’s desk is the bill’s next stop, and his spokeswoman said he intends to sign the bill, pending final review.

Snyder believes that “scientific, deliberative wildlife and game management is a positive thing,” spokeswoman Sara Wurfel said in an email.

Supporters of the bill say it protects residents in rural Upper Peninsula communities whose safety is threatened by the growing wolf population, while keeping out-of-state special interest groups from determining Michigan policies.

But opponents contend the measure, which passed the Senate last week, is a way around a proposed referendum on wolf hunting.

Keep Michigan Wolves Protected, the group that collected signatures to request a statewide vote on the issue, have said lawmakers are fast-tracking the measure through the Legislature before the state Board of Canvassers certifies enough signatures were gathered for a referendum.

If so, no wolf hunt could be held until after the referendum.

Should the bill become law, voters could still strike down wolf hunting on the 2014 ballot, but it would be meaningless because the NRC could still approve wolf hunting.

“We are very disappointed that the Legislature would ignore the will of so many Michiganders who have clearly spoken out that they value the opportunity to have a say in critical wildlife decisions,” said Jill Fritz, director of Keep Michigan Wolves Protected and Michigan’s chapter of the Human Society of the United States.

“We need resource management science to be our guide to help us in this situation to deal with serious threats to our livestock, our pets and our families,” he said.

The Department of Natural Resources latest estimate of the wolf population in the Upper Peninsula is 658. DNR wildlife biologists last month asked the Natural Resources Commission to schedule a two-month hunting season this fall. Up to 43 wolves could be killed in three areas of the Upper Peninsula where officials say the animals have repeatedly attacked livestock and pets.

The commission could vote later this month.

McBroom said special interest groups, such as the Humane Society of the United States, are using the state’s referendum process to slowly eliminate hunting rights.

He said the measure passed Thursday “really cut the legs out from some of their special interest groups coming and utilizing our processes in a way that doesn’t benefit our state.”

Page 2 of 2 - But Fritz said the Humane Society is just one part of a large coalition that opposes wolf hunting, which includes Native American tribes, conservation groups and Michigan residents. Fritz said her organization is still reviewing all of their options about how they will proceed.